Microsoft unveils cheap Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 smartphones

Hoping to capitalize on its position in emerging markets, today Microsoft announced two new Windows smartphones aimed at the entry-level segment. The new Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 are two of the cheapest smartphones ever launched with Windows.

Microsoft took the sub $100 smartphone market by storm today by announcing not one, but two new very affordable smartphones based on Windows Phone. The Lumia 435 is the first model in the 400 series and is the cheapest Lumia ever announced. The Lumia 435 will be priced at 69 Euros (a bit above $80). The Dual SIM Lumia 532 is just a bit more expensive, with an MSRP of 79 Euros (roughly $94).

Both smartphones will face a gradual roll-out in many developing markets from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Emerging markets on these continents are where Microsoft sells most of its smartphones, and it will be interesting to how customers react to these new additions. Both new Lumia smartphones will initially be available in green, orange, black, or white, and will ship with Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim.

Both the Lumia 532 and the Lumia 435 come with 4-inch display running a resolution of 800 by 480 pixels, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of integrated storage space, and a battery of about 1500mAh. Both smartphones are equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 chipset, but the Lumia 435 has the dual-core version, while the Lumia 532 comes with the quad-core version. The Lumia 435 also comes with a 2MP primary camera, while the Lumia 532 integrates a 5MP sensor.